sidewinder

That is true - although it remained a very good shop right into the 1990s it was at its best in the earlier years in the first, pre-CD era location. I was always amazed at the way people came from all over Europe and beyond to stock up at Mole. From the way they checked out the LP racks you could also tell that, by and large, they really knew their stuff.

This 'article' I found (an old one - as it refers to the 'old' Rays store pre-Foyles) might be of interest: "Originally sited on the island block between Gray's Inn Road and Pentonville Road, it was within spitting distance of Kings Cross mainline station. This was quite a large shop and had row upon row of albums split up into all the different genres of jazz you could think of. As it was a mere cigarette smoking distance from my workplace at the time, nearly every other lunch hour (remember them?) was spent in the shop searching for Gilles Peterson's 'Jazz With Attitude' playlists. The Pentonville Road shop was subject to the eagle eyes of property developersand it closed before the days of home PCs (never mind the Internet and mp3s). So whilst the block has been boarded up for 10 years awaiting the Channel Tunnel Rail Link redevelopment windfall, Mole tunnelled under Gray's Inn Road to relocate at No. 311. The old shop still has a banner announcing the news of the move, which is looking very bedraggled now. The banner doesn't cover up the original logo of a Mole cartoon character on the shop sign happily blowing his sax on a mound of freshly dug earth. With the move to 311, Mole (the cartoon character) put on a little weight and the shop's character also changed. The CDs that we looked down upon in the old shop as 'upstarts' took prominence. The new shop that was much smaller and vinyl addicts got sent upstairs to the unloved first floor for a much-reduced selection. Whilst you can't stop progress, it was never the same. The staff remained as helpful and as knowledgeable as ever but like policemen, they seemed to get very young. Due to their incredible knowledge, I was always in awe of the staff. Due to its location next to a mainline train termini, jazzheads from all over the country would visit the shop and spend serious amounts on all jazz variants. My few quid spent on the 'Second-hand Fusion' section over the last 20 years may have helped, but never matched the extremes of serious collectors from early jazz blues to Japanese Blue Note import collectors (these vinyl treasures weighed nearly as must as they cost). I suppose until recently, their main competition was Ray's Jazz that was just off Shaftsbury Avenue. This is another shop that had served the jazz community for decades that closed down in the Internet/MP3 era. Thankfully, Ray's found a new home nearby on the first floor at Foyles book shop on Charing Cross Road. Similarly, Mole Jazz moved from its Kings Cross base soon after Ray's. The new home was also on the 1st Floor, above Classical Music specialist Harold Moores. However, this proved to be only a stopgap before the end. It was only the other week one of the staff was playing Miles Davis' 'Bitches Brew' so there was no let up in appreciation of the music, but the black plastic bags didn't have the trade mark Mole logo printed on them anymore and the record purchasing experience was much the worse for that."

Here's the schedule listing: Ed Dipple

The store must have opened around 1978 - I think that second-hand list was from about 1976. It even has a Tubby Hayes Fontana on it for a crazy £3 ! I only noticed that 30 years later. Most of my perusing in Mole in the early days as a poor student was in the deletions rack. A good time to pop in was New Year when they used to have a crazy sale with people scrambling to get into the store and get the best bargains. Used to drool over at the Japanese rack with the latest King and Toshiba imports but they were beyond me at the time. In later years I graduated to the 'collectors' bins upstairs in the 'new' location but there were also lots of good things to find in the regular vinyl racks.

Remember that situation well. Hence my 70s Italian pressing of 'The Sorcerer' !

Fabulous - won't miss this. I remember Ed from the store - it was only a 10 minute walk from College so I was a regular at their first location in Kings Cross in the late 70s/early 80s (and also the later place across the road). Still have one of Ed's mail order flyers (maybe his first?) from when he operated from home and I even bought a Miles Davis twofer from that list. Quite a lot of my LP collection came from Mole. Talking of that first store, although they vacated it many years ago (before moving across the road) until recently the 'Mole Jazz' banner above the store was quite visible, which must have caused quite a bit of confusion over the years. I wonder if that block of buildings has been demolished for redevelopment yet?

Sorry that I can't help with a copy as I don't have the LP but I know the one you are referring to. It came out as a Fontana 'mid-price' LP I think and I sometimes see copies in 2nd-hand record shops (in fact every copy I have seen has been beat up, which is why I never bought it). I've always thought it was recorded at Ronnie Scotts - certainly don't know of any jazz club that was in Stanhope Place. The only other option I could think of is Annie Ross's 'Annie's Room' but I'm not sure where that place was located.

Yet again, Kirk was way ahead of his time. And if ever there was a musician who is missed these days, it is RRK. Will dig out 'Inflated Tear' a bit later on the vinyl. Great album that one - and he covers so many bases in that tour-de-force.

Benny Goodman Capitol Small Groups Mosaic, LP2

I read that too. What a damn shame ! Paul Pace and his staff were pretty well running the last bastion of independent jazz retailing in London and doing a good job of it I thought, with the interesting CD selection, some good 2nd hand bins and nice coffee shop, indeed one of the most pleasant such emporiums in Central London. Even some vinyl. I've spent pleasurable hours in that particular 'Rays'. Hope it doesn't mean the demise of 'Rays' but the total cynic in me suspects that the jazz will go and the cafe bit will expand. If so, I won't be buying many more over-priced books from Foyles.

Sorry chaps.. :rsmile:

No doubt. I notice that one of these labels (Jazz Connection - Son of Gambit?) has a 3 CD set of Max Roach Mercury material which was no doubt lifted from the Mosaic set. What's the bet we will also see a 'Jazz Track' issue of Kind Of Blue next year. Just to round off the 'Legit' Anniversary Box..

Benny Goodman Capitol Small Groups, LP1. Delightful !

Ornette Coleman 'Love Call' (BN Liberty blue/white stereo)

George Coleman 'At Yoshi's' (Theresa) Miles Davis 'Porgy and Bess' (UK Fontana, stereo) Wayne Shorter 'The Soothsayer' (Japanese King pressing)

Not 'Riot' or Herbie !

Horace Tapscott Horatio Nelson Nelson Boyd Joe Boyd Chris McGregor Mongezi Feza

Gordon Ramsay Sir Alf Alf

Joe Newman 'Joe Newman Quintet At Count Basie's' (Mercury DG mono). With Oliver Nelson

Miles Davis 'Kind Of Blue' (Classic Records 2LPs, stereo)

Al Grey 'Night Song' (Argo DG mono)

Just about to give that one a spin !

They also issued some nice British Jazz originals of the early 60s including sought-after titles by Tubby Hayes, Paul Gonsalves, Ronnie Ross, Bill LeSage etc. I have a couple of them and the sound quality is good.

Diane Quick Dianna Rigg Joanna Lumley

All the best !